Even peace in Ukraine won’t bring back Russian gas, says EU Commission

The Guardian reports, referring to the statement by EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.

On June 17, the European Commission unveiled its plan to gradually halt imports of Russian gas. Jørgensen emphasized that the proposed ban will remain in place even if peace is achieved in Ukraine.

According to him, the decision is driven not only by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine but, more importantly, by Moscow’s use of energy as a weapon. “This is a ban that we introduce because Russia has weaponized energy against us, because Russia has blackmailed member states in the EU, and therefore they are not a trading partner that can be trusted,” he said. 

“That also means that, irrespectively of whether there is a peace or not – which we all hope there will be of course – this ban will still stand.”

The new initiative has already met resistance from Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria — countries that still rely heavily on Russian energy. However, early assessments suggest they lack enough support from other EU member states to block the plan from becoming binding legislation.

• The European Union will require European companies to disclose details of their gas purchase agreements with Russia, as part of upcoming European Commission proposals to phase out Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.